The Frugal Bostonian

I found an advertisement on craigslist looking for people to participate in a research study about pain medication. I send an email with some brief demographic information about myself, and they set up an appointment for me.

It was at a major university, and it took about 45 minutes. I had to put my fingers in cold water and rate my “pain.” It was not really painful, just uncomfortable. After five minutes, I pulled my fingers out and rated my “pain” for five more minutes. I took an over-the-counter pain medication, waited 20 minutes, then repeated the process. A five minute final survey, then I got three crisp $10 bills.

These opportunities are still out there, just use common sense: make sure its a reputable organization (don’t go to a private home!), and make sure its something you are willing to do.

Since I got rid of cable, I have been catching some reality television on network tv.  I have never cared for shows like Survivor that seem to pit people against each other, and are in general not very positive.

But I’ve found a few good shows.  The Biggest Loser helps participants lose weight.  Yes, they vote each other off, but maybe that’s part of the motivation, lose enough weight and you won’t be up for elimination.  In the end, the participants lose alot of weight and seem much happier.  They look alot healthier.

I also like Dancing with the Stars, which shows people getting out of their comfort zone and trying something new.  Its a competition, but those who learn the new skills the best get to stay, so people have some control over their destiny.

American Idol sometimes seems mean-spirited, but it does give people a chance to show their talent.  The whole Susan Boyle thing (an apparently dowdy, nerdy, not-ready-for-prime-time British woman with an amazing singing voice wows the judges in a British version of the show) would not have gotten so much exposure in the USA without American Idol.

So, I’ve decided that I like some reality tv.  And its all free, over-the-air programming.

I have an older car, its more than 12 years old.  It has various “old car” problems, but is usually very reliable and economical.  I bought it from someone at work when it was 10 years old  after my last jalopy was stolen (the last car was ready to be junked, so I did not mind that much).

Being an older car, sometimes it suddenly needs extra fluids.  I keep antifreeze, oil, brake fluid, and windshield washer fluid in the trunk at all times. This past winter I ran out of washer fluid.  Fortunately, I had some with me and only needed to pull into a safe place and pour it in.  The car seemed to be running “hot” last week, so I added antifreeze and the problem was solved.

If I did not have fluids with me, I would have had to find a place to buy them.  I probably would’ve paid alot more at a service station or supermarket than I pay at Target on sale.  And, depending on the time and the place, I might not have found anyplace to buy these fluids, and essentially would have been stranded.

Keeping basic fluids and repair stuff in the car makes sense. I was really stuck once when the windshield wiper loosened and did not stay on the window.  All it needed was to be tightened, but I did not have a wrench.  Luckily, someone at a garage tightened it for me.  But, if it had been late at night or there was no service station, I would have been stuck (you really can’t see without wipers when it is raining hard).  I got an inexpensive wrench at the store (you don’t need “quality” tools, etc., just enough to solve the problem or get somewhere where the someone can solve the problem for you.

I also keep jumper cables, which have proven invaluable helping friends who forgot to turn off their lights, etc.  It’s amazing how happy people are when you volunteer that you can give them a jump, or at least loan them the cable so someone else can do it.

Partly due to the virus issue, I have not been posting as much as I would like, but I have still be experiencing frugal events.  Here’s what I’ve been doing:

• I ushered at the Huntington Theater at “Two Men of Florence.”  I liked the play (story about Galileo and Pope Urban V), but not enough to have paid for a ticket.
• I went to someone’s art show opening at a community center.  This event was free, and it was enjoyable seeing someone’s work.  This show was somewhat “folksy” and really interesting.  Free snack foods were offered (but that was a bonus, I went to see the show, and I knew many friends would also be attending).
• I signed up for a research study paying $30 for 45 minutes on craigslist (there are many legitimate opportunities on craigslist, use common sense when applying and going anywhere).  The free manicure in the “beauty” section is back.  This is legitimate, it is a salon on newbury street.
• I got my hair cut at blaine beauty school (on west street in Boston, see my prior post).  The price has increased from $5 to $8, but it is still an amazing deal.
• I got rid of various computer viruses with free software downloads.
• I’ve been to haymarket and gotten loads of fruit and vegetables.  The fruit I brought to a party was met with great enthusiasm.
• I’ve got over 2000 points in mycokerewards (this is the program where you enter the codes from caps and 12 packs of coke products).  I signed up for a subscription for a new magazine.  I am debating what to get with the remaining points - I could get four movie passes, other magazine subscriptions, an asparagus cooker.
• I have been going to the gym 3-5 times per week.  I am determined to get good value out of this.

My computer (an averatec laptop running windows xp) was running really, really slowly, and I was getting unwanted popups.  I suspected a virus.  My AVG antivirus caught some, but there were more.  I solved the problem for free by downloading free antivirus programs.

I downloaded one program,PC doctor, that scanned my computer but wanted a subscription to eradicate it.  They I downloaded webroot internet security, which had a free two week trial.  It identified and eliminated viruses, but PC doctor was showing that some still remained.  Finally, I downloaded and ran malawarebytes, a free program. It detected and deleted the viruses.  To find these programs, I ran a google search with the name of the virus, and I looked for free malware software.

My computer is running much better, and the popups have stopped.  I plan to keep running these various programs before settling on one antivirus program in the next two weeks (the scans also slow things down).  Regardless of the antivirus program you are running, viruses sometimes still get through.  If your computer is really, really slow, download one of the freebies and give it a run.  BUT, be careful and download only from a reputable source (I check reviews on computer boards). The folks who bring you the viruses also give away software that will allegedly “solve” the problem by further infecting your computer.  Whatever you do, DO NOT CLICK ON AN UNWANTED POPUP OFFERING VIRUS REMOVAL!!!!

Viruses are more than just an annoyance, you can be a victim of identity theft if hit by the “wrong” virus.  Keep your computer clean.  Mac computers supposedly have fewer viruses, and I think that’s what I will get next (but not until this one wears out, at least two (probably five) years from now.

I’ve seen alot of ads from Norton antivirus encouraging people to upgrade / renew in conjunction with tax season.  Norton’s a great program, but it costs money.

I use AVG Anti-Virus.  It’s a free (legal!) program that has worked great for me for the past three years.   They also have a version that has more features (but it costs money).   I won’t pretend to understand the business model (the free version is only for individual users, so maybe they make their money on commercial customers), but its a great deal for me.

If you are tired of paying for Norton, go to free.avg.com and download a copy. I cannot imagine going back to paying for antivirus software.

If you aren’t using an antivirus program and are running a windows pc. download and install it anyway - you either already have a virus or will get one soon.

I am spending $50 less a month due to the cable cancellation.  I decided to join a gym.  Not the most frugal of activities, but I consider it money well spent.  Here’s how I did it as cheaply as possible.

• I researched all of the gyms within reasonable travel distance.
• I researched various discounts at these gyms.
• One gym had a discount of 20% for members of a specific community group.  It cost $20 to join the community group.  The 20% savings works out to $11 a month. 
• I had a coupon for $10 off joining fee.
• My health insurance offers a $150 wellness benefit after I belong to the gym for four months. 

The yearly fee for the gym (I pay monthly) works out to $671.  With the insurance “rebate” of $150, the annual fee is $521.  That works out to $44 a month (I am considering the $20 to the community group as a charitable donation).

So, I have “replaced” cable tv with a gym membership.  Ironically, the gym has cable tv, including individual televisions built into the exercise bikes.  I can ride the bike and watch tv!